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Soul Society (Darkrai and Skitty)
| image = | kanji =尸魂界 (ソウル・ソサエティ) | capital = Seireitei | form of government = Feudal Monarchy/Oligarchy | ruler = Spirit King | administration = Central 46 Chambers | leader = Captain-Commander Haruko Kiseki | military = Gotei 13, Kidō Corps, Onmitsukidō | currency = Kan | manga debut = Chapter 71 | anime debut = Episode 7 }} Soul Society (尸魂界 (ソウル・ソサエティ), literally "dead spirit world") is an afterlife (also called the spirit world). This is also where Shinigami live and is where most Souls dwell until they are reincarnated into the Human World. Overview While Rukia Kuchiki initially describes Soul Society as something of a paradise, where nine out of ten times it is better than the living world and hunger is never a problem, Soul Society is far from sublime. In fact, aside from the slowed aging and aforementioned lack of hunger, life there is much like that in the living world. Soul Society consists of the Rukongai (流魂街, wandering soul city; Viz: Rukon District), where souls live when they arrive in Soul Society, and Seireitei (瀞霊廷, court of pure souls), which is at the center of Soul Society. The mode of life here closely resembles that of feudal Japan. However, after the brief entrance into a modern age, and then a massive economic downturn, the Soul Society managed to build it's way up from this into a mixture of modern and feudal ideals. The Human World and Soul Society are parallel to each other and are two sides of the same coin. Families separated by death are rarely reunited in the Soul Society unless they arrive in Soul Society together. People live nestled together like a family of strangers. One never gets hungry (if she or he doesn't have spiritual powers) and aging is slowed to a great extent, with lifespans of 2000 or more years not being unheard of, though such ages are limited to Shinigami or other Soul Society dwellers with high spiritual power. Children can be born as they are in the Human World. People can also be killed as regular Humans are, though they are capable of surviving wounds that would normally be considered fatal. A soul that dies in Soul Society is reincarnated on Earth as a new Human with no past memories. Government Spirit King Soul Society is ruled by the Spirit King, who commonly leaves the running of Soul Society to the Central 46 Chambers and Nobles. The Spirit King lives in the Royal Palace in a separate dimension in the very core of Soul Society, which is protected by the Royal Guard. The King does have a specific system of "speciality duties" which are actively carried out but the exact nature of these duties is unknown.4 The dimension can only be opened with a tri-pronged golden key fittingly named the Royal Key (王鍵, ōken). The location of this Royal Key is passed down verbally from one Gotei 13 Captain-Commander to the next, the current holder being Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. According to Rangiku Matsumoto, no Shinigami has ever seen the king. Nobility Another part of the government are the Noble Houses, especially the four Great Noble Houses, which are considered to be the highest of them all. The lower noble houses all serve one of the four each. Judiciary Central 46 (中央四十六, Chūō Shijūroku): The Central 46 serve the Shinigami royalty. They are made up of 40 wise men and 6 judges, selected from all of Soul Society. They are sealed into an enclave in Seireitei called Seijōtōkyorin (清浄塔居林) which no one else may enter, regardless of their military or civilian status. They act as a supreme judiciary organization whose authority puts it in direct control of the legal system. They handle all rulings on Shinigami and souls who have violated prohibitions. Their orders are absolute and no decision has been known to be overturned. Technology Level One of the more unusual aspects of Soul Society is its technology level. While the lifestyle and culture of Soul Society is comparable to feudal Japan, they possess technology of a level exceeding that time period. The Shinigami Research Institute has developed amazing technology to their credit, mixing technology with organic components. Allowing for the creation of creatures that do everything from detecting spiritual energy signatures to allowing Humans to see a spirit without the use of a Gigai. They possess touch-screens and databases which are in use for files and historical documentation storage found extensively in the Daireishokairo (大霊書回廊, Great Spirit Book Gallery), which contains all the knowledge and history of Soul Society. View screen technology that is capable of sending signals to the Human World and Dangai, allowing for face to face conferencing. All manner of portable hand-held devices for tracking and communication purposes. Blending old traditions and ideas with new innovation, Soul Society is an enigma in this comparison. Rukongai Rukongai (流魂街, wandering soul city) is the largest portion of Soul Society and the most populated. While originally city that was poor even in the lawful regions, and formerly divided into 320 districts (80 in North Rukongai, 80 in West Rukongai, 80 in South Rukongai, 80 in East Rukongai), the Rukongai is currently a booming metropolis. Seireitei Seireitei (瀞霊廷, court of pure souls) is located off the coast of the Rukongai, being an island in the middle of the large bay, as opposed to, as Kaito called it, a "first-strike target smack dab in the middle of everything". The entire island is crafted out of Kaizō Sekkiseki (改造 殺気石, Modified spirit reducing stone), a unique version of Sekkiseki created by Kaito. Like Sekkiseki before it, it negates all Reiryoku, and full spherical barrier around the city, stopping anything spiritual from breaching it, however, Kaito altered it so that it won;t have negative effects on souls exposed to it after prolonged periods of time, making it possible for Captains to fight, even on the island.